ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Heat 95, Hawks 89

LeBron James needed one assist for a triple-double on Friday in Atlanta.

BEST OF THE NIGHT: LeBron James shot with 13.6 seconds left to give the Heat a four-point lead.

James got the separation he wanted on DeShawn Stevenson and buried his 20-foot fade-away jumper from the left wing to make it a two-possession game. It was James' only basket of the fourth quarter.

WORST OF THE NIGHT: Stevenson and Lou Williams of the Hawks combined to go 1 of 13 from the field and 1 of 8 from three-point range. Both players went scoreless in the fourth quarter. Also, Stevenson stumbled on the most important play of the game, James' 20-footer with 13.6 seconds left.

NIGHTLY NUMBER: 3Consecutive games the Heat has had more than 20 assists, an offensive goal of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat is averaging 26.6 assists in its last three games.

LINE OF THE NIGHT: James was one assist away from a triple-double. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. James has 41 points, 23 rebounds and 17 assists in his last two games. He has five double-doubles in the Heat's first six games.

THEY SAID ITLEBRON JAMES on his knee injury scare. James bumped knees with Hawks forward Josh Smith near the end of the second quarter."I was banged up at the end of the first half, but it was going to take a lot for me not to go out there and be with my teammates."

JAMES on falling one assist shy of a triple-double"I'm cursed. I just heard that it is the 12th time I have fallen short by one rebound or assist. I joked with the team when we came in the locker room, but you all know me and know that it's about winning and the game, not the stats."

CHRIS BOSH on his 24-point night"My shots were falling and I was able to get to the free-throw line tonight. I'm just trying to contribute to this team in whatever way they need me. Whether it was with the starting unit or our bench tonight, I was able to work well with them and get some easy baskets."

LeBron James blows past Josh Smith, who was wearing one of the NBA's officially licensed headbands for Veteran's Day.

OF NOTE!

#WITHOUTWADEThe Heat is 15-3 without Dwyane Wade in the lineup over the last two seasons. Wade missed Friday's game with a cold but is expected to play on Sunday against the Grizzlies.

5,000 CLUBLeBron James recorded his 5,000th career rebound on Friday. James is averaging 22.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the Heat's first six games. James has had five double-doubles.

FLIRTING WITH 60Heat Sixth Man Ray Allen is shooting .593 from three-point range this season. He is 16 of 27 from distance. On Friday, Allen had 17 points in 24 minutes and was 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range. In a battle of the leads best Sixth Men, Allen defeated Lou Williams with ease. Williams had two points in about 20 minutes.

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTThe Heat's defense allowed an average of 81 points in its last two games. The Hawks shot 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range. For the season, the Heat is ranked 20th in the league in points per possession, according to SynergySportsTech.com. The Heat was last in the NBA in points per possession three games into the season. Still, there is always room for improvement. The Hawks shot 47 percent (17 of 36) on jump shots in its half-court offense, according to Synergy.

NIGHTLY ANALYSISThe Heat scored 40 points in the paint and was 14 of 16 from the free-throw line. The aggressive style made up for an off-night from behind the three-point arc. Miami was 7 of 22 from three-point range. Udonis Haslem set the tone off the bench in the physical game. He had 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.